Double trouble: finding schools for your twins

Tracey Hassell, mother of seven-year-old Thomas and Oliver, and spokesperson for the St Albans and District Twins Club, says:
"If you think it's hard getting one child into a school – how about two? If you're the parent of twins, you need to have realistic expectations. If you're not careful about your choices, your children could end up being allocated different schools. I've seen the stress that this causes and it's something I'm campaigning to change. But for now, it's a very real danger"

Tracey with her sons, Thomas and Oliver (pictured left)

Choosing schools for twins is twice as complicated. So if you have multiple births in your family, check out our five tips below...

1. Firstly, you need to decide whether you’d like your children educated in the same school, or not.

If you keep them together… the children may prefer it, and it will be easier for you to do the school run, manage homework and coordinate social arrangements etc.
If you separate them… it could promote their individuality and discourage competition (but it might be a logistical nightmare!)

2. If they’re at the same school, do you want them in the same class? Maria, a mum of eight-year-old non-identical twins, says separating them has been very beneficial. “They used to be competitive in the classroom, and it was difficult as my daughter was more accomplished than my son”, she says. “But now they can develop at their own pace, and have established their own friends and identities”.

Separation won’t be an option at some of the smaller schools, where there’s only one class per year.

3. Visit as many schools as you can, and discuss your situation. You’ll find that their approaches to twins, and other multiple births, are as individual as your children are!

4. To assess whether you’re likely to get into a school, use SchoolGuru.co.uk. Please note that our data will only reveal if you're likely to get a place for one child. You should also call the school to discuss your situation and their policy on admitting multiple births.

5. Play it extra-safe when you’re selecting schools to put on your application form. If you’re unrealistic with your three choices, you risk not getting any of them (and then you’ll be allocated a school that can’t fill its places). Alternatively, your children could be offered different primary schools, against your wishes.
Just so you know...

A few primary schools will temporarily exceed their published admission number, if necessary, rather than separate twins – but that’s the exception, rather than the rule.
With secondary schools, it’s more straightforward. If you get one child in, you should get the other in too (except if one child wins a place through a lottery ballot… and then you won’t).

Well, we never said this was going to be easy. Best of luck with your decisions!